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Shepherds of the Night
"This work can be described tersely but not unfairly as a contribution to the debate on Brazilian self-definition, rendered ineffective by being cast in the form of pastoral. Amado's theme is the life of the Bahian poor: not the whole of their lives, for we seldom glimpse them at the back-breaking work that must occupy some of their waking hours, but their leisure life. His scene is laid in cheap brothels, alleys, shanties on the beaches, and in those hidden shrines on the mountainsides where the priests and priestesses of Ogun or Oxala exact their rites...Novels aren't any worse for having no 'social message'; but it's strange to find one which handles so much social material without taking it somewhere, only moving it from place to place."
John Wain, New York Review of Books, 5/4/1967
John Wain, New York Review of Books, 5/4/1967
372 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1964
About the author
Jorge Amado
153 books1,705 followersJorge Amado was a modernist Brazilian writer. He remains one of the most read and translated Brazilian authors, second only to Paulo Coelho. In his style of fictional novelist, however, there is no parallel in Brazil. His work was further popularized by highly successful film and TV adaptations.
He was a member of the Brazilian Academy of Letters from 1961 until his death in 2001. In 1994, his work was recognized with the Camões Prize, the most prestigious award in Portuguese literature.
His literary work presents two distinct phases. In the first, there is a clear social critic and political focus, with works such as Captains of the Sands and Sea of Death standing out.
In his more mature phase, he adopts an aspect of good-humored and sensual chronicler of his people, abandoning ideological motivations, with works such as Gabriela, Clove and Cinnamon, The Double Death of Quincas Water-Bray and Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands.
He was a member of the Brazilian Academy of Letters from 1961 until his death in 2001. In 1994, his work was recognized with the Camões Prize, the most prestigious award in Portuguese literature.
His literary work presents two distinct phases. In the first, there is a clear social critic and political focus, with works such as Captains of the Sands and Sea of Death standing out.
In his more mature phase, he adopts an aspect of good-humored and sensual chronicler of his people, abandoning ideological motivations, with works such as Gabriela, Clove and Cinnamon, The Double Death of Quincas Water-Bray and Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
May 5, 2023
A celebration of life among the African and mulatto population of the favelas of northeast Brazil in the 1960s. These poverty-stricken folks somehow manage to survive and to enjoy life while they are at it.
Many of these folks are con men, thieves and prostitutes but they are good-hearted. You do whatever you can to get by even if it means running a crooked dice game or a scam.
There are three main episodes that structure the flow of the book. The first is the marriage of a playboy to a former prostitute.
The second event focuses on the complexities of a Catholic christening while the ostensible godparents are stand-ins for the African gods in northeast Brazil’s syncretic religious culture.
A third theme is the appropriation of private land and the subsequent battles with the police and government. The squatters fight to earn the right to stay in the shanties they constructed.
These pages are populated by well-developed, believable and lovable characters who remind us what life is all about.
The author (1912-2001) was a famous Brazilian writer and several of his 30 novels, translated from Portuguese, are considered modern classics. He is best known for novels such as Dona Flora and Her Two Husbands and Gabriela, Clove and Cinnamon. (In his picture, doesn’t Amado looks like a cross between Walter Cronkite and Albert Einstein?!) I’ve enjoyed and reviewed Gabriela and Home is the Sailor.
[Revised, pictures and shelves added 5/5/23]
Favelas of Bahia from correio24horas.com.br
The author from Britannica.com
Many of these folks are con men, thieves and prostitutes but they are good-hearted. You do whatever you can to get by even if it means running a crooked dice game or a scam.
There are three main episodes that structure the flow of the book. The first is the marriage of a playboy to a former prostitute.
The second event focuses on the complexities of a Catholic christening while the ostensible godparents are stand-ins for the African gods in northeast Brazil’s syncretic religious culture.
A third theme is the appropriation of private land and the subsequent battles with the police and government. The squatters fight to earn the right to stay in the shanties they constructed.
These pages are populated by well-developed, believable and lovable characters who remind us what life is all about.
The author (1912-2001) was a famous Brazilian writer and several of his 30 novels, translated from Portuguese, are considered modern classics. He is best known for novels such as Dona Flora and Her Two Husbands and Gabriela, Clove and Cinnamon. (In his picture, doesn’t Amado looks like a cross between Walter Cronkite and Albert Einstein?!) I’ve enjoyed and reviewed Gabriela and Home is the Sailor.
[Revised, pictures and shelves added 5/5/23]
Favelas of Bahia from correio24horas.com.br
The author from Britannica.com
March 17, 2017
Not as good as Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands and Gabriela, Clove and Cinnamon, but good in its own way!
November 29, 2025
La qualità letteraria è impeccabile, tipica di Amado, con la sua penna calda, carnale e popolare, il suo stile ricco di oralità, ironia e velata saggezza.
Qui c’è il sunto dell’opera di Amado, con i profumi speziati riconoscibili della Bahia di San Salvador, i suoni dei riti del Candomblé, la lotta quotidiana e l’allegria di vivere, semplicemente vivere.
In questo libro ci sono persino picchi di poesia, personaggi che mi rimarranno impressi nel cuore (Otália su tutti ♥️), passaggi suadenti e vibranti, coinvolgenti, commoventi. Si respira calore umano, temperature alte – sia atmosferiche sia corporee. C’è tanto sole e tanta pioggia, così come smisurato amore e travolgente strazio.
A differenza di altre opere dello stesso autore, però, l’ho trovato a tratti fin troppo lento e questo mi ha impedito di bermi l’intreccio di storie con quel gusto con cui si scola una bevanda fresca d’estate. Mi sono accorta che a volte mi risvegliavo letteralmente con alcuni momenti egregi della narrazione, dopo decine di pagine con meno “forza” avvolgente.
Rimane sempre e comunque un solo consiglio: LEGGETE JORGE AMADO! 🌞
Qui c’è il sunto dell’opera di Amado, con i profumi speziati riconoscibili della Bahia di San Salvador, i suoni dei riti del Candomblé, la lotta quotidiana e l’allegria di vivere, semplicemente vivere.
In questo libro ci sono persino picchi di poesia, personaggi che mi rimarranno impressi nel cuore (Otália su tutti ♥️), passaggi suadenti e vibranti, coinvolgenti, commoventi. Si respira calore umano, temperature alte – sia atmosferiche sia corporee. C’è tanto sole e tanta pioggia, così come smisurato amore e travolgente strazio.
A differenza di altre opere dello stesso autore, però, l’ho trovato a tratti fin troppo lento e questo mi ha impedito di bermi l’intreccio di storie con quel gusto con cui si scola una bevanda fresca d’estate. Mi sono accorta che a volte mi risvegliavo letteralmente con alcuni momenti egregi della narrazione, dopo decine di pagine con meno “forza” avvolgente.
Rimane sempre e comunque un solo consiglio: LEGGETE JORGE AMADO! 🌞
September 19, 2014
Rich, comic, tragic tales of the barely-working classes of Bahia, the gamblers, ladies of the night, their lives and loves. Really it's three novellas with recurring characters. The first is a great introduction and scene-setter, the second is charming, and just when you thought this was Amado's least political book, the third section blows kisses to the robber barons in excellent Amado style. Perfect summer reading, with characters that linger like a warm sea breeze that smells a little like salty sweat, but not in a bad way, in a sexy way.
December 25, 2017
A flockin' beauty !
The word "picaresque" was invented for the novels about the demi-monde of Bahia, Brazil, written by Jorge Amado. All of them contain characters you hate to part from, characters that will live forever in the world of fiction, the characters of novels like "Tieta", "The Two Deaths of Quincas Wateryell", "Gabriela: Clove and Cinnamon", "Jubiaba", "Tent of Miracles", "Home is the Sailor", "Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands" and many others. The lowlifes of that city in northeastern Brazil come to life--all the cardsharpers, whores, thieves, frog catchers, sailors, food vendors, drunks and neer-do-wells. Most of them might stray from the letter of the law occasionally, some of them normally. They might quarrel, steal, or prostitute themselves, but they are never mean, never vicious or oppressive. These are tales, after all, and they represent a world--not the real world of Brazil, but the world inside Amado's head, a great place to be I think. In Amado's Bahia, the women are strong and charming, nearly always beautiful and certainly generous with their favors. The fish stew is always great, and rum flows like water. Only the cruel police and the venal politicians dupe the people, betray anyone for money, and oppress their fellow men. OK, maybe the stories are not so realistic, but they are extremely entertaining. You can't put these books down. And Amado respects and builds up the Afro-Brazilian religion known variously as Macumba or Candomble, the religion which joins the West African religious system known as Vodun to Catholicism. The colorful life of this religion is woven throughout almost every one of Amado's novels. SHEPHERDS OF THE NIGHT is no exception.
The novel is divided into three sections, but interlinked. In the first, we read about the brief marriage of Corporal Martim, a rake and dealer of marked cards who marries a beautiful, but jealous and domineering ex-prostitute while he is on the lam out in the sticks. His friends look aghast at this travesty of his real, uncommitting nature, and amidst a rum-induced haze decide to do something about it. The second part tells of the christening of the Negro Massu's son, conceived with a woman who dies young, leaving Massu, assisted by his grandmother, to raise the boy. The tale involves a Catholic priest who cannot recall his own origins in the Macumba rituals. Amado tells us how deep the roots of this syncretic culture really are. The third section deals with a land invasion by the poor folks of Rampa do Mercado. They illegally occupy lands owned by a rich Spaniard and despite attacks by the police, manage, through political machinations and pure determination, to hold onto them. There must be a sacrificial victim however.......
If you have never read Jorge Amado, this is a good place to start. If you have read any of his other works and liked them, you'll definitely like this one too. It's a flockin' great read.
The word "picaresque" was invented for the novels about the demi-monde of Bahia, Brazil, written by Jorge Amado. All of them contain characters you hate to part from, characters that will live forever in the world of fiction, the characters of novels like "Tieta", "The Two Deaths of Quincas Wateryell", "Gabriela: Clove and Cinnamon", "Jubiaba", "Tent of Miracles", "Home is the Sailor", "Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands" and many others. The lowlifes of that city in northeastern Brazil come to life--all the cardsharpers, whores, thieves, frog catchers, sailors, food vendors, drunks and neer-do-wells. Most of them might stray from the letter of the law occasionally, some of them normally. They might quarrel, steal, or prostitute themselves, but they are never mean, never vicious or oppressive. These are tales, after all, and they represent a world--not the real world of Brazil, but the world inside Amado's head, a great place to be I think. In Amado's Bahia, the women are strong and charming, nearly always beautiful and certainly generous with their favors. The fish stew is always great, and rum flows like water. Only the cruel police and the venal politicians dupe the people, betray anyone for money, and oppress their fellow men. OK, maybe the stories are not so realistic, but they are extremely entertaining. You can't put these books down. And Amado respects and builds up the Afro-Brazilian religion known variously as Macumba or Candomble, the religion which joins the West African religious system known as Vodun to Catholicism. The colorful life of this religion is woven throughout almost every one of Amado's novels. SHEPHERDS OF THE NIGHT is no exception.
The novel is divided into three sections, but interlinked. In the first, we read about the brief marriage of Corporal Martim, a rake and dealer of marked cards who marries a beautiful, but jealous and domineering ex-prostitute while he is on the lam out in the sticks. His friends look aghast at this travesty of his real, uncommitting nature, and amidst a rum-induced haze decide to do something about it. The second part tells of the christening of the Negro Massu's son, conceived with a woman who dies young, leaving Massu, assisted by his grandmother, to raise the boy. The tale involves a Catholic priest who cannot recall his own origins in the Macumba rituals. Amado tells us how deep the roots of this syncretic culture really are. The third section deals with a land invasion by the poor folks of Rampa do Mercado. They illegally occupy lands owned by a rich Spaniard and despite attacks by the police, manage, through political machinations and pure determination, to hold onto them. There must be a sacrificial victim however.......
If you have never read Jorge Amado, this is a good place to start. If you have read any of his other works and liked them, you'll definitely like this one too. It's a flockin' great read.
August 11, 2014
Амаду има милиони почитатели по света заради удивителното си чувство за хумор, неповторимите си образи, бурните страсти и трагикомичните любови... Шестнайсетгодишната Оталия пристига в големия град да живее и да работи в публичния дом на майчица Тиберия, но с появата си неволно нажежава страстите. Влюбчивият Курио се хваща в мрежите на прекрасната Мариалва, жената на най-близкия му приятел и побратим ефрейтор Мартим, и всичко се заплита неудържимо по романтичен, комичен и героичен начин. Негърът Масу кръщава с йоруба-християнска церемония своя русокос и синеок син и лично божеството Огун се наема да избере за детето му достоен кръстник. И докато бездомници градят своите колиби, а политическите лидери преследват корупционните си народолюбиви интереси, Курио изживява скръбна страст по мадам Беатрис, прочутата индийска факирка, родом от бразилския град Нитерой.
На 10 август,2014 г. се навършиха 102 години от рождението на бразилския писател Жоржи Амаду. Смятан е за модернист, пишещ често в стила магически реализъм. Амаду е един от най-известните бразилски автори, творчеството му е преведено на 49 езика. Много негови книги са филмирани. На български са преведи книгите му „Тереза Батиста, уморена от битки“, „Дона Флор и нейните двама съпрузи“, „Тиета от Агрести“, „Пастири на нощта“ и др. Умира през 2001 г.
„Светът е такъв – неразбираем и пълен с изненади“.
„Любовта – най-прекрасното и най-ужасното нещо на света“.
„Любовта не се доказва или измерва – тя съществува и това е достатъчно“.
„Любовта е вечна, защото винаги се подновява. Страстите умират, любовта остава“.
„Щастието има нужда да се храни не само със спомени от миналото. Нуждае се и от мечти за бъдещето“.
„Нито дори Бог, който ни е създал, не може да ни избие всички. Бог убива хората един по един, а колкото повече убива, толкова повече хората ще продължат да се раждат, да растат, да се раждат отново, да се смесват и т.н. И никой кучи син няма да ги спре!“.
„Нещастието е издръжливо дърво; филиз, набучен в земята, не иска особени грижи, расте, разклонява се, среща се навсякъде. В двора на бедняка, приятелю, нещастието избуява, там не се задържа друго растение. Ако човек няма закалка и здрава кожа, ако няма мазоли отвън и отвътре, безсмислено е да се захваща с боговете, не съществува магия, която да послужи. Още нещо ще ви кажа, но не за да се хваля или да превъзнасям силата на нямащите, а защото това е чистата истина – само беднякът има смелост да понася нещастията и да продължава да живее“ – из „Тереза Батиста, уморена от битки“
„Да харесаш някого е лесно, случва се, когато най- малко очакваш, един поглед, една дума, един жест и огънят лумва, изгаря гърдите и устата; трудно е да се забрави, самотата изяжда човека; любовта не е трън, който се изважда, тумор, който се изтръгва, любовта е непокорна, нестихваща болка, убива отвътре“ – из „Тереза Батиста, уморена от битки“.
„Животът беше хубав – човек трябваше само да го живее“.
На 10 август,2014 г. се навършиха 102 години от рождението на бразилския писател Жоржи Амаду. Смятан е за модернист, пишещ често в стила магически реализъм. Амаду е един от най-известните бразилски автори, творчеството му е преведено на 49 езика. Много негови книги са филмирани. На български са преведи книгите му „Тереза Батиста, уморена от битки“, „Дона Флор и нейните двама съпрузи“, „Тиета от Агрести“, „Пастири на нощта“ и др. Умира през 2001 г.
„Светът е такъв – неразбираем и пълен с изненади“.
„Любовта – най-прекрасното и най-ужасното нещо на света“.
„Любовта не се доказва или измерва – тя съществува и това е достатъчно“.
„Любовта е вечна, защото винаги се подновява. Страстите умират, любовта остава“.
„Щастието има нужда да се храни не само със спомени от миналото. Нуждае се и от мечти за бъдещето“.
„Нито дори Бог, който ни е създал, не може да ни избие всички. Бог убива хората един по един, а колкото повече убива, толкова повече хората ще продължат да се раждат, да растат, да се раждат отново, да се смесват и т.н. И никой кучи син няма да ги спре!“.
„Нещастието е издръжливо дърво; филиз, набучен в земята, не иска особени грижи, расте, разклонява се, среща се навсякъде. В двора на бедняка, приятелю, нещастието избуява, там не се задържа друго растение. Ако човек няма закалка и здрава кожа, ако няма мазоли отвън и отвътре, безсмислено е да се захваща с боговете, не съществува магия, която да послужи. Още нещо ще ви кажа, но не за да се хваля или да превъзнасям силата на нямащите, а защото това е чистата истина – само беднякът има смелост да понася нещастията и да продължава да живее“ – из „Тереза Батиста, уморена от битки“
„Да харесаш някого е лесно, случва се, когато най- малко очакваш, един поглед, една дума, един жест и огънят лумва, изгаря гърдите и устата; трудно е да се забрави, самотата изяжда човека; любовта не е трън, който се изважда, тумор, който се изтръгва, любовта е непокорна, нестихваща болка, убива отвътре“ – из „Тереза Батиста, уморена от битки“.
„Животът беше хубав – човек трябваше само да го живее“.
September 20, 2014
Translated by Harriet de Onís
Three interconnected stories of the gamblers, prostitutes and layabouts of Bahia, Brazil – of Colonel Martim’s marriage, of the christening of Negro Massu’s child, and of the invasion of Cat Wood by the hoi polloi. At turns highly comic, moving, and sad, the novel shows an extraordinarily deep understanding of human nature and various personal motivations. A brilliant writer, Amado paints a poetic picture of street life from the point of view of those who uphold their principles against all odds. Defying the injustice of steady employment and the oppression of the rich, the poor not only live, but have fun surviving.
Three interconnected stories of the gamblers, prostitutes and layabouts of Bahia, Brazil – of Colonel Martim’s marriage, of the christening of Negro Massu’s child, and of the invasion of Cat Wood by the hoi polloi. At turns highly comic, moving, and sad, the novel shows an extraordinarily deep understanding of human nature and various personal motivations. A brilliant writer, Amado paints a poetic picture of street life from the point of view of those who uphold their principles against all odds. Defying the injustice of steady employment and the oppression of the rich, the poor not only live, but have fun surviving.
June 28, 2020
Latin Amerika yazarlarını her zaman kayırırım. Ama Jorge Amado gerçekten beni mest etti. Çeviri de çok iyi olunca tadından yenmez bir edebiyat zevki oldu. Özellikle hicivde çok başarılı olmuş. Burjuva ahlakını yerle bir ederken kullandığı eğlenceli kara mizah bana göre eşsiz güzellikteydi. Zaman zaman hikayeden kopup geri geldiğiniz bölümler olsa da çeviri dili o kadar akıcı ve güzel ki kitaba bir şekilde dönüp yazarı ve karakterleri özümsemeye devam edebiliyorsunuz. Hem Amado'ya hem Cemgil'e şapka çıkartıyorum.
April 20, 2019
I have been neglecting my 1964 list lately so I put three on my April reading plan. Jorge Amado was a Brazilian author whose novels about social classes, especially the lower ones, are full of rollicking scenes and expose the hypocrisy of the upper classes. He sets these tales in the Brazilian state of Bahai, where he was born and raised.
(As an aside, when I read translated books for My Big Fat Reading Project, I put them on my lists in the year they were first published, usually earlier than the English translation.)
The "shepherds of the night" in this collection of three character-related novellas, are a group of men who spend their nights drinking rum and bedding their women, many of whom are prostitutes. From the opening page of the book: "We shepherded the night as though she were a bevy of girls and we guided her to the ports of dawn with our staffs of rum, our unhewn rods of laughter."
In the first novella, one Corporal Martim, looked up to by all of these men, commits the unspeakable act of getting married. In its hilarious and poignant pages, his friends expose the wife for the conniving woman she is, break up the marriage, and rescue their dude.
The second novella concerns the christening of a blue-eyed mixed race baby whose mother died and who was brought to his grandfather Massu to be raised. Massu is a large, very large, Negro with a soft, very soft heart. He is part of the gang. Here we get a look at the cross section of Afro-Brazilian voodoo cults and the Catholic Church brought to Brazil by European colonists. Plenty of magical realism brightens up the tale.
Finally, the third novella deals with clashes between the poor, the government and the press. Oh my, this one could have been set in the present as the families connected with the gang of "shepherds" try squatting on a piece of property owned by one of the major industrialists of Bahai who is also a slum lord.
I was not sure I was going to enjoy the book when I started it. I forgot that I almost always feel this way when I begin an Amado novel. (This is my sixth.) Then I get captured by his storytelling skills and lost in his characters' adventures. I was happy to spend a few days in another culture, all the while seeing that human beings are more similar than they are different all around the globe.
(As an aside, when I read translated books for My Big Fat Reading Project, I put them on my lists in the year they were first published, usually earlier than the English translation.)
The "shepherds of the night" in this collection of three character-related novellas, are a group of men who spend their nights drinking rum and bedding their women, many of whom are prostitutes. From the opening page of the book: "We shepherded the night as though she were a bevy of girls and we guided her to the ports of dawn with our staffs of rum, our unhewn rods of laughter."
In the first novella, one Corporal Martim, looked up to by all of these men, commits the unspeakable act of getting married. In its hilarious and poignant pages, his friends expose the wife for the conniving woman she is, break up the marriage, and rescue their dude.
The second novella concerns the christening of a blue-eyed mixed race baby whose mother died and who was brought to his grandfather Massu to be raised. Massu is a large, very large, Negro with a soft, very soft heart. He is part of the gang. Here we get a look at the cross section of Afro-Brazilian voodoo cults and the Catholic Church brought to Brazil by European colonists. Plenty of magical realism brightens up the tale.
Finally, the third novella deals with clashes between the poor, the government and the press. Oh my, this one could have been set in the present as the families connected with the gang of "shepherds" try squatting on a piece of property owned by one of the major industrialists of Bahai who is also a slum lord.
I was not sure I was going to enjoy the book when I started it. I forgot that I almost always feel this way when I begin an Amado novel. (This is my sixth.) Then I get captured by his storytelling skills and lost in his characters' adventures. I was happy to spend a few days in another culture, all the while seeing that human beings are more similar than they are different all around the globe.
December 23, 2015
Escrito às vésperas do golpe militar de 1964, este romance modelar se constrói em três partes autônomas, interligadas por personagens comuns: prostitutas, boêmios, vigaristas, a comunidade notívaga de Salvador, com suas leis e valores próprios: o culto à cachaça, o ódio à polícia, o horror ao trabalho.Na primeira parte, o cabo Martim, craque dos baralhos marcados e dos dados viciados, sedutor cobiçado, aparece com companheira fixa e planos de constituir um lar. A notícia cai como uma bomba entre os pastores da noite. A segunda narrativa trata do batizado do filho de Massu, negro musculoso que ganha a vida fazendo pequenos fretes. O padrinho do menino é o próprio Ogum, e assim o batizado mobiliza a noite da cidade, embaralhando candomblé e catolicismo. Na última parte, a ocupação do morro do Mata Gato por desabrigados desencadeia um conflito social e político. O dono do terreno recorre à polícia, mas entram em cena outras forças e interesses: autoridades governamentais, imprensa corrupta, banqueiros do jogo do bicho
February 19, 2026
Gosto tanto de voltar a Jorge Amado! A sua escrita ao mesmo tempo cómica e ternurenta contando as desventuras dos baianos de meados do século XX, emociona-me sempre. Ao mesmo tempo faz-me revisitar a minha infância, porque estas histórias, os seus cenários, as suas personagens foram fielmente retratados nas telenovelas brasileiras que eu adorava ver.
Este "Os Pastores da Noite" tráz-nos três histórias. Separadas, mas ao mesmo tempo interligadas porque partilha personagens, situações e locais. Personagens tão ricas, cenários tão bem descritos! Foi um gosto está leitura!
Este "Os Pastores da Noite" tráz-nos três histórias. Separadas, mas ao mesmo tempo interligadas porque partilha personagens, situações e locais. Personagens tão ricas, cenários tão bem descritos! Foi um gosto está leitura!
November 30, 2025
O compadre de Ogum de fato é o destaque, mas ler Amado é muito gostoso.
February 9, 2019
.??? sometime 90s: i wish i was a night owl with these friends, even now when i can be reasonably aware of embedded misogyny, aware of errors of machismo, aware women are more than counters in a game of manliness, not your enemy if not your love…
July 6, 2016
El bautizo del hijo del negro Massu y el padrinazgo de Ogum paga la novela. Hace mucho que no me reia tanto...que entrañable es Jorge Amado
April 10, 2024
Più lento e meno affollato di avvenimenti di altri libri di Amado, ma ugualmente e squisitamente ironico, polemico e incantato
March 17, 2026
Jorge Amado is an author whose work I've always wanted to read. He is one of the most celebrated Brazilian authors, a baiano from my mother's hometown of Salvador, whose work engages with the kinds of themes that resonate deeply with me (I've seen a good amount of adaptations of his work, with Jubiaba being one of my favorite Brazilian films). I cannot remember for sure how I came to Shepherds of the Night, as I own another novel of Amado's and am unsure which I got where; either this is a book I ordered online, or I came across it while at a bookstore in Los Angeles. I'm inclined to think this is the one I bought, simply because I could imagine myself gravitating to it on title and cover alone.
I wish I had done a proper review of this back when I finished it, because I had a lot of thoughts, but I was really going through it, and only got as far as the above paragraph before stopping. Now it's difficult to reflect on the book with any specificity, so I'm probably going to be brief.
Set in Salvador in the early 20th century, the novel follows a group of gamblers, malcontents, malandros, as they just... live. The two parts are largely comedic: the first about the marriage of a consummate rogue to a seductive woman from out of town, the second about a laborer selecting a godfather for his baby. Amado shows an incredible amount of love for his characters, flawed though they may be, and though he is honest about their hardships, he takes care that they aren't defined by suffering. Each feels distinct and self-possessed, someone who could be the star of his own story if it weren't for the colorful people surrounding him.
I say "he" because if there's one thing I brushed up against in this part of the novel, it's the sexism. Women are defined largely by how they relate to men: the matronly ones that look after the men's well-being are good, the sexually aggressive ones are evil manipulators, and those are the two women that exist. The male characters are similarly all pretty misogynistic, and while it can be said that it's reflexive of how they would treat the women, it goes feel like Amado himself does have preconceptions of how a proper woman should behave.
Putting that aside, this part of the novel is pretty engaging. I read a translation, but it seems to preserve the rather poetic, flowery, sprawling prose that Amado is known for, allowing the narrative to veer off course and delve into a character's history or a description of the landscape at a moment's notice. Occasionally challenging to parse, but the loquaciousness is always used to capture an ephemeral quality about the lives of these people, in this place, that direct description would elude. That this is so culturally specific adds to this quality, with the second part dealing more directly with candomble than any other work I've experienced, to my great delight.
The third part shifts gears, becoming a political satire about how the rotten institutions of the country care little for the plight of the poor, only using the veneer of charitable spirit as cover for power plays and business deals. Here the community of the first chapters deliberately disappears into the background, becoming mere pawns in the political machinations of people who want nothing to do with them. The prose here gets very charged and very biting, the kind of stuff I'm surprised didn't see Amado go into exile (been there done that I guess), and remains resonate across time and space.
After I finished the book, I had a long talk with my mother about Salvador, Amado, her childhood and her relationship with her homeland. It was a good conversation, I always enjoy hearing my mother talk about her youth and what she remembers of a time long past, but I also always feel a bit sad whenever I engage with Brazilian culture like this. It feels like there's a part of myself that was kept from me by circumstance, that I'll always be more American than I am Brazilian, even if I do eventually get fluent in Portuguese. Hopefully doing so bridges that gap a bit.
I was not brief.
I wish I had done a proper review of this back when I finished it, because I had a lot of thoughts, but I was really going through it, and only got as far as the above paragraph before stopping. Now it's difficult to reflect on the book with any specificity, so I'm probably going to be brief.
Set in Salvador in the early 20th century, the novel follows a group of gamblers, malcontents, malandros, as they just... live. The two parts are largely comedic: the first about the marriage of a consummate rogue to a seductive woman from out of town, the second about a laborer selecting a godfather for his baby. Amado shows an incredible amount of love for his characters, flawed though they may be, and though he is honest about their hardships, he takes care that they aren't defined by suffering. Each feels distinct and self-possessed, someone who could be the star of his own story if it weren't for the colorful people surrounding him.
I say "he" because if there's one thing I brushed up against in this part of the novel, it's the sexism. Women are defined largely by how they relate to men: the matronly ones that look after the men's well-being are good, the sexually aggressive ones are evil manipulators, and those are the two women that exist. The male characters are similarly all pretty misogynistic, and while it can be said that it's reflexive of how they would treat the women, it goes feel like Amado himself does have preconceptions of how a proper woman should behave.
Putting that aside, this part of the novel is pretty engaging. I read a translation, but it seems to preserve the rather poetic, flowery, sprawling prose that Amado is known for, allowing the narrative to veer off course and delve into a character's history or a description of the landscape at a moment's notice. Occasionally challenging to parse, but the loquaciousness is always used to capture an ephemeral quality about the lives of these people, in this place, that direct description would elude. That this is so culturally specific adds to this quality, with the second part dealing more directly with candomble than any other work I've experienced, to my great delight.
The third part shifts gears, becoming a political satire about how the rotten institutions of the country care little for the plight of the poor, only using the veneer of charitable spirit as cover for power plays and business deals. Here the community of the first chapters deliberately disappears into the background, becoming mere pawns in the political machinations of people who want nothing to do with them. The prose here gets very charged and very biting, the kind of stuff I'm surprised didn't see Amado go into exile (been there done that I guess), and remains resonate across time and space.
After I finished the book, I had a long talk with my mother about Salvador, Amado, her childhood and her relationship with her homeland. It was a good conversation, I always enjoy hearing my mother talk about her youth and what she remembers of a time long past, but I also always feel a bit sad whenever I engage with Brazilian culture like this. It feels like there's a part of myself that was kept from me by circumstance, that I'll always be more American than I am Brazilian, even if I do eventually get fluent in Portuguese. Hopefully doing so bridges that gap a bit.
I was not brief.
August 25, 2026
Trois nouvelles qui mettent en scène les mêmes personnages.
J'ai bien aimé la première avec Martim qui s'est marié pendant qu'il était ailleurs. Quand il revient, Tibéria, la dame qui est comme une mère pour lui, déteste sa nouvelle épouse car il ne l'a pas consultée avant de se marier, et un frère à lui s'entiche de son épouse...
Deuxième nouvelle c'est tout une histoire de baptême avec difficulté à choisir le parrain car il n'y a que l'embarras du choix ; pour la marraine il n'y a que Tibéria. Puis le baptême en lui-même est gâché par un esprit païen.
La troisième nouvelle m'a assommée je l'ai lue en diagonale et si j'avais été brave je l'aurais abandonnée CARRÉMENT.
J'ai bien aimé la première avec Martim qui s'est marié pendant qu'il était ailleurs. Quand il revient, Tibéria, la dame qui est comme une mère pour lui, déteste sa nouvelle épouse car il ne l'a pas consultée avant de se marier, et un frère à lui s'entiche de son épouse...
Deuxième nouvelle c'est tout une histoire de baptême avec difficulté à choisir le parrain car il n'y a que l'embarras du choix ; pour la marraine il n'y a que Tibéria. Puis le baptême en lui-même est gâché par un esprit païen.
La troisième nouvelle m'a assommée je l'ai lue en diagonale et si j'avais été brave je l'aurais abandonnée CARRÉMENT.
Si c'était mon fils à moi, je le ferais baptiser dans toutes les religions : chez le curé, le baptise, le témoin de Jéhovah, tous les protestants et en plus chez les spirites. Il serait protégé une fois pour toutes, pas moyen de rater le ciel.
Son train de vie lui coûtait cher avec ses deux familles, sa maison civile et sa maison militaire, et cette rivalité entre son épouse Rita et sa maîtresse Rosa, c'était à qui dépenserait le plus. Les deux R, les Rats Rongeurs, comme il le disait lui-même avec un certain cynisme et un certain humour, lui rongeaient se finances.
March 27, 2024
Amado'nun en iyisi değil kesinlikle, ama Amado bildiğimiz Amado.
Birbirine hafifçe temas eden üç farklı novella içeriyor roman, bunlardan ilki maalesef büyük hayal kırıklığı. Dostluğun, kardeşliğin aşktan bile üstün olduğunu kanıtlamak için zaten pek de muaf olmadığı mizojini illetini yine konuşturmuş maalesef yazar. Neyse ki ikinci kısımla beraber maharetini esas gösterdiği konuya giriyor, kurumsal dinin karşısına halkın inancını yerleştirerek alt sınıfların direniş stratejilerine ilişkin hoş bir örnek sunarak toparlıyor. Ve nihayet artık sol kroşesini çıkarıyor da kapitalist mülkiyet ilişkileri içerisinde barınma hakkını merkeze alan, bunu yaparken merkez siyaset içinde dönen dolapların ipliğini pazara çıkaran, epey de keyifli bir mizahi ton tutturmayı başarabilen bir finalle bitiriyor, Tereza Batista'nın da son öyküsüne benzer biçimde.
Her halükarda, Salvador sokaklarında okurunu Afrika'nın kutsal ruhlarıyla beraber yürütüp kiliselerine, kumsallarına, genelevlerine varıncaya dek gezdiren capcanlı bir kitap yine.
Birbirine hafifçe temas eden üç farklı novella içeriyor roman, bunlardan ilki maalesef büyük hayal kırıklığı. Dostluğun, kardeşliğin aşktan bile üstün olduğunu kanıtlamak için zaten pek de muaf olmadığı mizojini illetini yine konuşturmuş maalesef yazar. Neyse ki ikinci kısımla beraber maharetini esas gösterdiği konuya giriyor, kurumsal dinin karşısına halkın inancını yerleştirerek alt sınıfların direniş stratejilerine ilişkin hoş bir örnek sunarak toparlıyor. Ve nihayet artık sol kroşesini çıkarıyor da kapitalist mülkiyet ilişkileri içerisinde barınma hakkını merkeze alan, bunu yaparken merkez siyaset içinde dönen dolapların ipliğini pazara çıkaran, epey de keyifli bir mizahi ton tutturmayı başarabilen bir finalle bitiriyor, Tereza Batista'nın da son öyküsüne benzer biçimde.
Her halükarda, Salvador sokaklarında okurunu Afrika'nın kutsal ruhlarıyla beraber yürütüp kiliselerine, kumsallarına, genelevlerine varıncaya dek gezdiren capcanlı bir kitap yine.
December 28, 2025
Sin ser "Gabriel clavo y canela" o "Doña Flor y sus dos maridos" es una buena novela y es que Jorge Amado escribía sobre lo que conocía, sobre su época, sobre lo vivido y eso es un valor seguro, además, eso sí, de saber escribir.
Los temas son la amistad y la lealtad, son unas historias con los mismo protagonistas, pero en tres momentos distintos, donde aparecen las críticas a la pobreza pero siempre con el colorido y la alegría típica de los personajes de Jorge Amado y siempre quedando por encima de todo la amistad y la solidaridad de la clase social entre ellos.
Leer a Jorge Amado es un acto de limpieza mental, con todo lo que está cayendo hoy en día, leer sus historias es buscar y encontrar una esperanza y encontrar una evasión a la estupidez de hoy.
Los temas son la amistad y la lealtad, son unas historias con los mismo protagonistas, pero en tres momentos distintos, donde aparecen las críticas a la pobreza pero siempre con el colorido y la alegría típica de los personajes de Jorge Amado y siempre quedando por encima de todo la amistad y la solidaridad de la clase social entre ellos.
Leer a Jorge Amado es un acto de limpieza mental, con todo lo que está cayendo hoy en día, leer sus historias es buscar y encontrar una esperanza y encontrar una evasión a la estupidez de hoy.
February 16, 2026
Contém 3 novelas. A primeira, sobre o casamento do cabo Martim, achei arrastada. Para mim lendo atualmente os personagens por si só não geram interesse e o enredo é o tipo da coisa que me cansa. A segunda é O Compadre de Ogum, que conheci pelo especial da Globo, cuja memória afetiva é impossível de separar. Achei interessante que o padre no livro é menos preconceituoso (mas igualmente perdido na poeira). A terceira é sobre a invasão do morro pelos moradores e achei a mais significativa, pois segue sendo atual. No geral, apesar da prosa ser ótima e de ter uma visão do povo que é necessária, dá para notar também um conservadorismo a respeito de gênero, que é uma pena.
November 20, 2022
This is a book that clearly depicts how life is not black and white.
You fall in love with some of the characters then you realize on the way some of the things they do you don't quite agree with and feel conflicted. Or you dislike some of them but still get to see why that is as the author uncovers their story.
Poor and rich, honorable and immoral members of society, they are more interconnected than their status might hint to.
You fall in love with some of the characters then you realize on the way some of the things they do you don't quite agree with and feel conflicted. Or you dislike some of them but still get to see why that is as the author uncovers their story.
Poor and rich, honorable and immoral members of society, they are more interconnected than their status might hint to.
May 27, 2023
Jorge Amado is a consummate storyteller and really brings the streets of Bahia to life. His characters are raucous and bawdy but you can't help but fall in love with them, even though you'd probably be rather wary of meeting them in real life. Like Charles Dickens (who he apparently admired), Amado's portrayals of the less privileged members of society are vivid and his political commentary astute. He combines humour, irony, lyricism and pathos seamlessly.
April 30, 2023
Numa história, várias histórias.
Houve momentos em que não conseguia parar até saber o fim da história.
Noutros momentos mais descritivo com questões políticas, duro de manter o foco.
Chegando ao fim é sempre uma alegria de todos os temas abordados e da moral que fica para cada um 🤍
Houve momentos em que não conseguia parar até saber o fim da história.
Noutros momentos mais descritivo com questões políticas, duro de manter o foco.
Chegando ao fim é sempre uma alegria de todos os temas abordados e da moral que fica para cada um 🤍
July 14, 2020
O Compadre de Ogum é perfeito.
October 28, 2021
É um capitães da areia só que os personagens são adultos, ou seja, bom, mas não tão bom quanto
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 17, 2022
Classic Amado. Enjoyable if you're a fine but not as well executed as his major pieces.
October 20, 2023
Loved that book, the descriptions were so vivid they've stayed with me for ever. I'm hoping to read this one again and more of the work of Jorge Amado.
November 6, 2025
História envolvente e rica culturalmente, mas mais longa e enrolada do que se necessita, como se sabe o fim desde o início, há vários trechos cansativos, especialmente, no último conto.
February 21, 2017
"Shepherds of the Night" by Jorge Amado, translated from the Portuguese by the late Harriet De Onis, is three interconnected short stories about a dozen or so mainly poorer common folks in the state of Bahia ("bay") bordering the Atlantic coast in northeast Brazil. Bahia is the historical and cultural heart of Brazil and retains the greatest African (and Portuguese) imprint in custom and culture. The population is genetically about half African, over a third European, and many of the remaining Native American, with about half the population multiracial.
The author captures his characters well and does not miss the humorous aspects of their various capacities to sustain their day-to-day well-being against the odds. His portrayals of Bahia are lively and, I would suspect, authentic.
Recommended for any reader with an interest in Brazil. The writing style is undemanding.
The author captures his characters well and does not miss the humorous aspects of their various capacities to sustain their day-to-day well-being against the odds. His portrayals of Bahia are lively and, I would suspect, authentic.
Recommended for any reader with an interest in Brazil. The writing style is undemanding.
November 11, 2016
#1001books #722left
This was not for me. Perhaps it was the translation, or the flashbacks-forewards that occurred seemingly randomly, or maybe it was the blending of narrative, mythology, religion, and ethnography that I just didn't get, but whatever it was, this was really just okay. The actual parts of Archanjo's life were interesting (though I still don't understand exactly WHY it needed to be said on every other page how much he loved to talk--that was clearly evident in the first 50), but the ones in the modern day with the failed poet were boring and seemingly pointless (or if there was a point I missed it). An interesting, if not thrilling, look at early 20th c. rural Brazil, its people, customs, and practices.
This was not for me. Perhaps it was the translation, or the flashbacks-forewards that occurred seemingly randomly, or maybe it was the blending of narrative, mythology, religion, and ethnography that I just didn't get, but whatever it was, this was really just okay. The actual parts of Archanjo's life were interesting (though I still don't understand exactly WHY it needed to be said on every other page how much he loved to talk--that was clearly evident in the first 50), but the ones in the modern day with the failed poet were boring and seemingly pointless (or if there was a point I missed it). An interesting, if not thrilling, look at early 20th c. rural Brazil, its people, customs, and practices.
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